Magonia Supplement - No 53 - 2004 11 30

Magazine Overview

This issue of MAGONIA Supplement, No. 53, dated 30 November 2004, is titled "IF THAT SOMEONE'S FROM OUTER SPACE, THEY'LL JUST GO THROUGH THE WALL ANYWAYS" and is authored by Martin S. Kottmeyer. It delves into the recurring motif of entities, particularly aliens and supernatural beings, passing through solid matter, a phenomenon frequently reported in UFO abduction accounts and prevalent in science fiction.

The Phenomenon of Wall Penetration

The article begins by noting the significant number of abduction cases where witnesses report aliens passing through walls or doors, and even being taken through solid matter themselves. This phenomenon is presented as a challenge to disbelief, with advocates often appealing to the concept of higher dimensions, such as those described in superstring theory, as an explanation for how such feats might be possible without violating known physics. The author contrasts this with the fundamental physics principle that matter is impenetrable, citing the law that two objects cannot occupy the same space simultaneously and the repulsive forces between atomic nuclei.

While acknowledging that some particles like neutrinos can pass through matter, Kottmeyer dismisses the idea of transmuting human bodies into neutrinos and back as currently unthinkable. He highlights the troubling aspect that abductees report passing through walls intact, without any sensation of their bodies being disassembled or altered. The author questions how higher dimensions, if they exist, could be scaled up to allow macroscopic objects like humans to pass through them without causing atomic structures to fly apart.

Historical and Cultural Roots

Kottmeyer traces the concept of wall penetration through various cultural and fictional contexts. He notes that the idea is not new and has been a feature of supernatural beliefs for generations, citing examples like ghosts and the risen Christ in Christianity being able to pass through closed doors. The trait is also found in folklore, with stage effects like the "vamp trap" in the 19th century and literary depictions in works like Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol." The author points out that science fiction has frequently adopted and "technologized" this supernatural motif, with early examples including A.E. van Vogt's 1939 story "Discord in Scarlet" and later works like "Buck Rogers" comics and the film "4D Man."

Wall Penetration in UFO Culture and Media

The article examines how this trait has manifested in UFO lore and popular media. It suggests that the ability to pass through walls is a common characteristic attributed to aliens, appearing in films like "The Mysterians" and "The Adventures of Superman." The "Twilight Zone" episode "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" is cited as an example where the ability to pass through walls was considered common knowledge about aliens even before the Betty and Barney Hill abduction. Later, "The Outer Limits" and "Star Trek" also featured episodes with characters demonstrating this ability.

Dolores Cannon's "The Custodians" is mentioned as an abduction case that features wall penetration. The author also discusses Betty Andreasson's drawings, which depicted entities moving in a jerky, vapoury fashion and passing through solid wood, suggesting this might be an early visual representation of wall penetration in abduction narratives.

The Philadelphia Experiment and Other Cases

The infamous "Philadelphia Experiment" is brought up, with claims from Carlos Allende's letters describing victims walking through walls. The article also touches upon the Sputnik wave of 1957, where a witness described occupants of a UFO walking through the ship's side as if it were glass. The author notes that while the Andreasson case is considered the first abduction case to feature wall penetration, other instances exist, and some publications have presented highly fictionalized accounts.

The Broader Context of Anomalous Experiences

Kottmeyer suggests that the trait of wall penetration in UFO narratives might be a modern manifestation of older "secret night adventures" and anomalous personal experiences, linking it to concepts like sleep paralysis (SP). He references the work of Pascal Boyer, who views such claims as "ontological violations" that challenge our fundamental understanding of reality. The author also touches upon the idea that these narratives may reflect deeper psychological processes or cultural archetypes.

Reviews of Related Works

The supplement includes reviews of several books:

• Michael Busby's "Solving the 1897 Airship Mystery": Reviewed by Peter Rogerson, this book is criticized for taking newspaper accounts of airship sightings at face value, potentially including hoaxes, and for its narrative construction involving real people and airships.
• Jorge Conesa Sevilla's "Wrestling With Ghosts: A Personal and Scientific Account of Sleep Paralysis": This book is noted for its comprehensive treatment of sleep paralysis, linking it to dream consciousness and humanistic approaches, and exploring its connection to folklore and geomagnetic activity.
• John S. Buescher's "The Other Side of Salvation: Spiritualism and the Nineteenth Century Religious Experience": This study examines the defection of Universalist figures to Spiritualism, highlighting strange characters who claimed contact with supernatural entities and whose experiences resemble modern UFO contactees and abductees.
• David Lorimer (ed.)'s "Science, Consciousness and Ultimate Reality": A collection of essays exploring consciousness, reality, and the relationship between science and religion, with contributors generally questioning mainstream scientific naturalism.
• Tony Rothman's "Everything is Relative and Other Fables from Science and Technology": This book is reviewed as a corrective to simplistic textbook histories of science, showing how discoveries are often complex, collaborative, and attributed based on publicity rather than sole invention.
• Scott Montgomery's "The Moon and the Western Imagination": This work is praised for its comprehensive history of thinking about the Moon, though the reviewer notes the surprising lack of realistic depictions until the 15th century.

Editorial Stance

The editorial by Martin Kottmeyer reiterates that the idea of aliens or humans gliding through walls is not original to UFO narratives and has roots in science fiction, films, and ancient folklore. He suggests that these details often derive from popular culture and criticizes the "nuts-and-bolts school of ufology" for denying the relevance of such findings and indulging in "sad fantasies."

Recurring Themes and Editorial Stance

The recurring theme throughout this issue is the exploration of the supernatural and the seemingly impossible, particularly the ability to pass through solid matter. The magazine consistently examines how such concepts, originating in folklore and religion, are adopted, adapted, and reinterpreted within science fiction and UFO lore. The editorial stance, as articulated by Kottmeyer, is critical of those who dismiss the influence of cultural and fictional precedents on UFO beliefs, advocating for a more integrated understanding of anomalous experiences that acknowledges their historical and psychological dimensions rather than adhering to a purely literal, "nuts-and-bolts" interpretation.